Carmine (also called cochineal) is a deep red, naturally occurring dye which has been used for thousands of years by populations in Central and North America. Despite the difficulty of producing carmine, the colorant is still in wide-spread demand. Carmine is an FDA approved additive, and is used to enhance the appearance of food, confections, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. In addition, its staining properties make it an excellent contrasting agent for microbiological studies and cellular research. Carminic acid (see STRUCTURE I below), which is the dominant chromophoric ingredient in carmine, is naturally produced during the life cycle of female insects of the genus Dactylopius, such as those of the species Dactylopius coccus (referred to herein as cochineal insects).

Cochineal insects occur naturally as parasites on cacti of the genus Opuntia, with Opuntia ficus-indica being the most suitable host. At present, cultivation of cochineal insects for large scale harvest is initiated through careful inoculation of cacti with infected cactus pads or with pathogen-free females. Typically, the insects are introduced to the host via baskets known as Zapotec nests. After inoculation, the cochineal insects must be protected from predators and from harmful weather conditions during their 3 month growth cycle.
Carmine is then laboriously extracted from the tiny (about 0.2 inch or 0.5 cm in length) female cochineal insects after the pads of the inoculated cacti are gathered. Approximately 155,000 insects are required to yield a single kg of carminic acid. The harvesting process is a labor and time intensive endeavor, and typically involves removing the cochineal insects by hand from the infected cactus pads.
The yield of cochineal insects (and hence carmine) may be adversely affected by the presence of various naturally occurring predators to the insects, as well as by cold temperatures or rainy conditions. Moreover, cochineal insect cultivation and yields are dependent on the health of the Opuntia host. This aspect of cochineal farming is especially challenging, since cochineal insects are parasites which are capable of killing the host cactus. Consequently, cochineal farmers must ensure that a large supply (typically more than 10,000 acres) of cactus host is sustained at all times.
In light of the aforementioned difficulties attendant to cochineal cultivation, there is a need in the art for a method for harvesting cochineal insects that overcomes these problems. In particular, there is a need in the art for a method for cultivating cochineal insects that is less labor, time and resource intensive, and which is not geographically limited. These and other needs may be met by the methodologies, compositions and devices disclosed herein and hereinafter described.